First Estate

The First Estate was a French social class that consisted of the Catholic clergy, with 10% being "upper clergy" and 90% "lower clergy"; the First Estate would equal a mere .5% of France's population (130,000). The First Estate, although the smallest estate, owned the most land in France, and it had the power to impose taxes through the French feudal system. During the French Revolution, the corrupt First Estate was persecuted, with the Civil Constitution of the Clergy making the church a part of the French government and thereby removing all lands from the church. The September Massacres would see several priests be murdered by radical revolutionaries, and the estate would later be abolished. It was not until 1801 when Napoleon and Pope Pius VII reconciled under the "Concordat of 1801", ending the persecution.